Habits and attitudes about eating and self-weighing among adults who are recovered, recovering, or partially recovered from eating disorders: an open-ended survey study.

purposeThe purpose of this study was to add experiential data from individuals with lived experiences of eating disorder recovery to the existing literature, regarding daily habits and attitudes toward eating and self-weighing.

methodsAn anonymous open-ended online survey was completed by 32 adults. One was excluded due to current eating disordered behaviors. Remaining participants were divided into three self-identified groups: Recovered from an eating disorder, Recovering from an eating disorder, and Partially Recovered from an eating disorder.

resultsResults showed the Recovered group reported more years of recovery than the other two groups, named "recovered" as part of their identity, practiced intuitive or regular eating instead of a prescribed meal plan, and held negative attitudes about self-weighing. The Recovering group reported, "I will always be recovering," and either followed prescribed meal plans or weighed themselves and did not expect to change those behaviors. The Partially Recovered group did not see themselves as recovered, but aspired to become recovered, and if they followed a prescribed meal plan or self-weighed, then they expected to change these behaviors in the future.

conclusionsThere is a difference in years of recovery, meal planning, and scale attitudes, among people who self-identify in the recovery categories of Recovered, Recovering, and Partially Recovered. These results can (1) help providers better serve clients with eating disorders; (2) help researchers better understand individuals who have suffered from eating disorders and are in the recovery process; and (3) offer guidance and hope for those in recovery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, Evidence obtained from multiple time series analysis such as case studies. (NB: Dramatic results in uncontrolled trials might also be regarded as this type of evidence).